Harriet Potter: The Later Years
by tinyrose65
Summary: Harriet's life didn't end with the defeat of the basilisk. Voldemort might be gone, but with family and friends like hers, the rest of her time at Hogwarts is bound to be interesting. Sequel to Harriet Potter. (AU! Fem!Harry)
1. The Past Always Catches Up With You

**Title: **The Past Always Catches Up With You (Year 3)

**Author: **Tinyrose65

**Summary**: With her second year come and gone, Harriet is finally enjoying her summer. But she can't help but be distracted by some lingering questions and she decides that it's about time she gets some answers.

* * *

**"Study the past, if you wish to divine the future."**

**~Confucius**

* * *

_Remus_

**Harriet Potter and Remus Lupin, Sirius's and Remus's Place- June 5, 1993**

Harriet was looking forward to the rest of her summer. There were no professors out to kill her, no bizarre House Elves (well, except for Kreacher, who Harriet finally got to meet), and, most importantly, no Dursleys. It would instead consist of time spent at home, time spent at the Weasley's and the Granger's, and time spent brewing with Snape. She also spent quite a bit of time at Sirius's and Remus's place. Despite the fact that Grimmauld Place was now habitable, neither Sirius or Remus seemed too inclined to give up their current living arrangement.

Harriet understood.

After living so long with the Dursleys, starved of affection, Harriet had no desire to ever leave the warmth of her family's presence. And, anyway, Harriet quite _liked _the small flat that Remus and Sirius shared. Remus, who had been living there longer, had filled it up with books and old, if not insanely comfortable, furniture, much like his office at Hogwarts. Since Sirius had moved in, though, the slightly-rundown apartment had received some new renovations, thanks to the almost unlimited funds of the Black vaults: while still retaining the coziness it had before, the flat was now cleaner, more well lit, and with _much _more reliable indoor plumbing.

So yes. Harriet loved spending time there.

As it was, Harriet was currently keeping Remus company after the full moon. Hogwarts had only officially ended for the summer holiday a few days ago. Remus had almost immediately had to prepare for the full moon, with Sirius and Harriet's father keeping him company. However, the next day, Sirius and her father had to work, and so did her mother, so Harriet had happily offered to keep Remus company while her parents were out.

Dropped at Remus's by the dreaded Floo, Harriet bid them goodbye and went to Remus's bedroom, where she knew her uncle would be. She found him, sure enough, in bed, windows open wide to let in the light and a book in hand. When she opened the door, he put the book down and grinned when he saw her. Harriet noticed that he looked very tired, but otherwise well. She ran over to him and gave him a large hug.

"Hello, Uncle Moony."

"Hello, Harriet," he returned, before releasing her.

"How are you feeling, Uncle Moony?"

"Well," Remus said. He lifted his book. "I was just enjoying a quiet afternoon. Would you care to join me?"

When Harriet nodded eagerly, Remus gave her permission to go borrow from one of his bookshelves. Harriet beamed and ran into the living room to begin searching. It took a few minutes, but she finally settled on a muggle book that looked to be about a hobbit. Then she popped into the kitchen to make tea for them both, before finally rejoining her uncle in his room, balancing a tray of tea with one hand and her book in the other.

Remus tutted and grabbed his wand from his bedside table, levitating the tray of tea over to it. "You didn't need to make tea, Prongslette."

"I can make tea, Uncle Moony," Harriet argued, settling into the armchair by the bed and grabbing the lovely, knitted blanket that rested on top to cover herself. "You worry too much. You _and _mum."

"Considering your propensity for trouble," Remus chuckled, preparing a cup of tea first for Harriet and handing it to her, then for himself, "I think we worry the proper amount."

"I don't go looking for trouble!" Harriet protested, pausing for just a second to blow lightly on her tea. "Trouble usually finds me!"

"Are you sure your curiosity has nothing to do with it?" Remus teased. When Harriet blushed and looked down, Remus said, "Curiosity can be a marvelous thing, Harriet."

"Dumbledore told me that," Harriet remembered.

Remus nodded. "He told me that, too, when I was about your age."

Harriet looked at her uncle curiously. "Really? Why?"

"Well," Remus said slowly, "I supposed I always blamed myself for my lycanthropy. I was a small boy, you see, and I wandered off from my father one day while playing in the yard, to go explore a cluster of bushes." He shrugged, leading Harriet no doubt as to what had happened next. "Dumbledore was aware of the situation, but regardless let me attend school. Even when I felt guilty for the danger I was putting the other students in, he stood by me. He told me that I was not at fault and that I should never count my curiosity-"

"-as a sin," Harriet finished, with a small smile. She had always wondered just _how _her uncle had become a werewolf and a small part of her was thrilled that he had finally trusted her enough to tell her.

"Exactly," Remus said. "And neither should you."

Harriet smiled and then said, "And it all worked out, anyway- Well, sort of. I'm still alive and now you have your Wolfsbane potion!"

Remus hummed in agreement. He said, "Yes. It is very nice of Severus to make it for me every month."

Not for the first time, Harriet was struck by the fact that her Uncle Severus didn't get along too well with the rest of her family. It was something that she had thought about for a very long time, but she had never bothered asking, always too afraid or too preoccupied. Now, though, she was sitting in Remus's room with him, not really doing anything.

Hesitating, Harriet asked, "Why doesn't Uncle Severus like your or Padfoot or my dad?"

Remus, who had gone back to reading his book, stiffened a bit. Then he told her, "I'm not sure I'm the right person to explain this to you, Prongslette."

Harriet shut her book and leaned towards him. "_Please, _Uncle Moony. You're the perfect person to tell me. I trust you."

Remus huffed out a laugh. How was he supposed to say no to that?

"You know we never got along with Snape because of House rivalries, correct?" Remus asked. Harriet nodded. "Well, at some point- and I'm not really sure _when, _mind you- it became more than that. I think the day that the hatred between Snape and your father and Sirius and I was truly cemented was during the night of the full moon. Sirius told Snape to go and press the knot of the Whomping Willow that led to the Shrieking Shack-"

"But you would've been a werewolf," Harriet gasped.

Remus nodded. "Yes, although Snape had no idea of that. I don't think Sirius expected him to go _through _with it, but Snape did, and since then Snape has been convinced that Sirius was trying to kill him, and that the rest of us were in on it."

"Was Sirius trying to kill him?" Harriet asked. The thought was unthinkable, but Harriet had learned this past year that sometimes unthinkable things happened.

"You'd have to ask him, Prongslette," Remus chided gently before going back to his book. Harriet tried to get back to hers, but couldn't focus at all.

* * *

_Sirius_

**Harriet Potter and Sirius Black, Harriet's Room, Potter Manor- June 7, 1993**

Cleaning her room was one of those things that Harriet really didn't mind doing. That is to say, it's not that she _liked _doing it, but she had cleaned so many rooms at the Dursleys that now living with her parents and having only one room to clean was a blessing. Not to mention the fact that Isaura and Hedwig kept her company as she went about cleaning.

As Harriet made her bed, she and Isaura were discussing the abundance of mice on the Potter estate when a somebody knocked at the door.

"C'm in!" Harriet called.

The door opened to reveal Sirius. Harriet grinned and immediately ran over to give him a hug. She wrapped her arms around his middle and felt him plant a kiss on the top of her head.

"How are you, Prongslette?"

Harriet looked up at him and said, "I'm alright!"

"Just alright?" Sirius teased.

"I'm cleaning my room!" Harriet protested. Sirius nodded understandingly and took a seat in the chair by her desk. He watched her for a moment and then said, "I used to love cleaning my room when I was your age."

Harriet looked at him as though he was a bit touched in the head. She said, "I mean, I don't _mind _doing it, but I don't _like _it."

"I used to live for it," Sirius said with a wicked grin. "My parents hated when I did it. Thought that I should get our house-elf, Kreacher, to do it for me. They were furious when I ordered him to never clean my room again."

"You had a house-elf?" Harriet asked, surprised. Sirius nodded.

"_Have, _actually," he corrected. "Kreacher is still alive. He's gotten better since I last saw him, but he's still a bit too unpredictable. When he calms down a bit more, I'll take him to meet you. He is very excited about that."

"You told him about me?"

"No. Regulus did," Sirius said. Harriet remembered Regulus. She had met him (sort of) when she had (almost) died in the Chamber of Secrets at Voldemort's (well, his memory's) hand.

"Is Kreacher why you ran away from home?" Harriet asked carefully. Harriet knew that it was a delicate subject for her godfather, but it was something she had been thinking about for a while. Thankfully, Sirius didn't seem upset. Instead, he barked out a laugh.

"Merlin, no," Sirius said. "Although he certainly was annoying back in those days. Followed my parents' orders and spouted off their pure-blood nonsense. _That's _why I left. I couldn't stand that sort of prejudice. I was the first Black in centuries to be sorted into a house other than Slytherin, you know."

"Really?"

"Oh yes," Sirius said, sounding quite delighted.

"Did they disown you?" Harriet wondered. "Your parents, I mean?"

"Oh, no. I left before they had a chance. I didn't want _that _legacy hanging over my head. Your father and his family were very kind to me and gave me a place to stay," Sirius said wistfully.

"Your family is why you don't like Slytherins," Harriet surmised. Sirius seemed surprised at the conclusion, but hen nodded nonetheless. Harriet added, "And it's why you don't like Uncle Severus."

Here, Sirius let out another bark of laughter. "Oh, no, Prongslette. I don't like Sniv- Snape because he's a _git._"

"So you let Moony almost kill him?" Harriet demanded. It seemed to take Sirius a minute to realize what she was talking about, but then he shook his head rapidly. He seemed to struggle figuring out what to say, but eventually he managed to speak.

"You have to understand, Prongslette, I was a _brat _as a kid. Your father, too, and I'm sure he'd happily admit it if you ask him. But when I told Snape about- I mean, I never thought he would actually _do it. _I promise you, if I had known, I never would have done it."

Harriet decided that, by the look on his face, she could believe him. "What happened?"

Sirius sighed. "Your father heard about it. He saved Snape's life."

"He did?" Harriet asked.

"Yes," Sirius confirmed. "Your father is a good man. The best sort of man there is."

Harriet had to agree.

* * *

_James_

**Harriet and James Potter, Behind Potter Manor- June 10, 1993**

Harriet and her father tumbled, laughing, onto the grass. It was a warm, sunny day, and when Harriet had woken up that morning, her father had greeted her downstairs with a proposed game of Quidditch.

Harriet hadn't needed any persuasion.

Eventually, "Quidditch" had turned into chasing each other around on their brooms. Her father's own Nimbus was not nearly as wonderful as her Firebolt (something he constantly lamented, but Harriet said not a word, since she knew that Sirius had bought him a Firebolt, too, but for his birthday), but her father was far more experienced, leading to a wonderful time

It was a _warm _day, though, so eventually Harriet and her father settled down for a moment to cool down.

Slightly out of breath, her father, next to her on the ground, said, "You truly are a great flier, Prongslette. You fly almost as well as I did when I was at Hogwarts."

"Almost as well?" Harriet asked indignantly. "I made the Quidditch team in my first year! You didn't do that!"

"McGonagall was biased against me!" Her father protested.

"Why would she be biased against you?" Harriet frowned.

"Sirius and I may have already played a few pranks on the Slytherins by the time Quidditch try-outs rolled around," her father admitted sheepishly.

"Like on Snape?" Harriet asked.

Her father looked at her in surprise, but then said, "Well, yes. On Snape, certainly, although we only really started targeting him in our later years."

"When Sirius tricked Snape into going to the Whomping Willow," Harriet clarified.

Harriet watched as her father laughed nervously. "I suppose. Why so curious, Prongslette?"

With no real answer, Harriet just shrugged. "Sirius was telling me about how you saved Snape's life."

"I suppose I did," her father said through pursed lips.

"Why?" was the only thing Harriet could think to ask.

"Because it was the right thing to do," her father shrugged. "He was your mother's old friend. Both? It was so long ago, Prongslette, I don't remember what exactly what I was thinking. Just that Sirius was an idiot."

Harriet giggled and her father stood up and offered her his hand.

"Let's go inside, Prongslette," her father said as he pulled her to her feet. "I think your mother is making us snacks."

This sounded like a good idea to Harriet.

* * *

_Snape_

**Harriet and Professor Snape, Snape's House- June 12, 1993**

It was another day of helping her Uncle Severus prepare potions. Down in his basement, the air was musty and it was dark and cold. Regardless, Harriet couldn't be happier as she stood next to her uncle, listening as he described some of the more painstaking details of the potion they were working on.

When the time came for them to do nothing but wait for the potion to be ready, Harriet and her uncle stood in silence for only a minute before Harriet's curiosity got the better of her and she asked, "How long have you been making potions, Uncle Sev?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to be more specific. Do you mean professionally or when did I first take an interest in the subject?"

Harriet considered for a moment. "Both, I guess."

"I first became interested in potions when I entered Hogwarts," Snape said. "And pursued the subject professionally immediately after I left school."

"So you've always liked it, then," Harriet prodded.

"Not always," Snape corrected, a stickler for accuracy. "Before I arrived at Hogwarts, I knew next to nothing about potions making. My family had little money for such expensive _hobbies."_

He said this word with such scorn that Harriet got the impression that this was not a word he would've chosen to use, but rather one that his parents had used on more than one occasion. Deciding to drop the topic of her uncle's parents (clearly a sensitive topic for him), she said instead, "So what did you like to do for fun while you were growing up?"

"There was a park down the street from my house," Snape said shortly.

Harriet thought about this and finally said, "Mum mentioned that park a few times. Did you used to play there with her?"

"Yes."

"And Aunt Petunia?"

A nod.

"If you were all friends," Harriet said, "Why'd you stop?"

"Your Aunt grew jealous of your mother's magic," Snape said shortly, "And your mother and I- drifted apart."

Harriet got the distinct impression that this was all Snape would say on the subject, but decided to try a slightly different approach. "Was it because of my dad and Uncle Moony and Uncle Padfoot?"

"... your mother's relationship with your father started after her friendship with me ended."

So much for getting more out of him. Harriet huffed. This entire thing had been an attempt to try and understand why Snape had ended his friendship with her mother, become a Death Eater, tried to save her life, and become friends with her mother again-

But.

No.

She looked at Snape out of the corner of her eye. He wasn't _in love _with her mum, was he? Harriet didn't understand much about what being in love was like, but from what she saw in movies, it would explain a lot.

...

Okay.

So, Harriet decided, if Snape had been in love with her mother, why was he trying to be friends with them all again?

It couldn't be to win her mother back. Her mother _would never _let Snape do something like that. Ever.

It didn't make sense to her.

"Why are you friends with my mum?" Harriet risked asking. Snape, who had begun to add new ingredients to their potions, paused only for a moment before continuing.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You stopped being friends with her in school, and then you became a Death Eater- and yeah, I know about that, Regulus told me. Then why are you friends with her now?"

Snape considered her for a moment. Despite the fact that he always wore the same expression, Harriet could tell that he was starting to get a bit annoyed with her current line of questioning. She was nothing if not persistent, though, and for all his bluster and dark clothes, Snape didn't scare her one bit. There was was no way she going to stop questioning him just because he glared at her.

Snape seemed to come to this conclusion himself.

"She offered me a second chance. I missed her friendship, so I took it."

To be fair, that was far more than Harriet had expected to get out of him, but it did lead to another important question, "Are you only friends with me because of my mum?"

At this, Snape seemed to still, and Harriet felt her heart migrate to her throat as she imagined him nodding. His face contorted oddly and for a moment, Harriet was convinced that he was going to be sick.

Hang on!

He was- _laughing._

It was one of strangest, most bizarre things Harriet had _ever _seen in her entire life. It just didn't make any sense. She had seen Snape smirk every now again, but never a full blown chuckle like he was doing now.

"What's so funny?" she said indignantly.

He just shook his head and chuckled a bit more. Harriet stomped her foot, frustrated. That got his attention and he slowly schooled his face back into it's normal mask.

"You remind me of your mother at your age sometimes," he said. Harriet frowned, trying to figure out if he was answering her first question or her second.

"Is that why you like me?"

"I like you," Snape sighed, "Because, regardless of your father's influence, there is still hope for you yet."

With that, he shoved some herbs at her and told her to start chopping. Harriet did so. He hadn't really given her an answer, but he had told her that he cared for her not because of her parents or what she had done as a baby.

And that he had given her all the answer she needed

* * *

**AN: I know I promised you all this SO long ago, but I got a bit sidetracked with other projects... Anyway, this will be a series of one-shots set through the rest of Harriet's years at Hogwarts. PM me if there's anything you wanna see and I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy!**

**Read and review!**

**tinyrose65**


	2. Sweet Hearts (Year 3)

**Title: **Sweet Hearts (Year 3)

**Author: **Tinyrose65

**Summary**: Hogwarts seems to have caught the love bug. Thankfully, Harriet soon learns that she isn't the only one feeling left out. Perhaps there's a way to fix that?

* * *

**"The decision to kiss for the first time is the most crucial in any love story. It changes the relationship of two people much more strongly than even the final surrender; because this kiss already has within it that surrender."**

**~Emil Ludwig**

* * *

**Harriet Potter- Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, February 14, 1993**

Previous Valentine's Days did not hold good memories for Harriet.

The first one she could actually remember was when she was still living with the Dursleys. She had been in primary school and their teacher had made them all make cards. Harriet made one, and gave it to Bobby, the boy who sat in front of her in class. He had brown, curly hair and Harriet thought he had the prettiest eyes she had ever seen.

He was also very nice- he took her card shyly and gave her his in exchange. They ate lunch together. Bobby gave her some of his animal crackers and she gave him some of her carrot sticks. Harriet knew she was in love when he thanked her for them and _ate _them. Aunt Petunia never gave her the _good _carrot sticks, which meant Bobby ate them only because he liked her, too.

The next morning, Harriet was excited to see him and was looking forward to school for the first time in a long time. She knew something was wrong the minute she got to class. Bobby looked up at her from his desk and then looked back down. It only a glance at Dudley and his snickering friends to know what had happened.

He _always _did this when she tried to make new friends- threatening them so they wouldn't hang out with her, that was- but Harriet couldn't help but feel that doing this with her Valentine was taking it a bit too far. Not that she could actually _do _anything about it. Although, oddly enough, later that day, much to Harriet's pleasure, Dudley opened up his pencil box to find that all his crayons had turned pink and melted.

His cry of shock was something that she remembered with fondness to this day.

After that, Valentine's didn't get any better for her. She was too preoccupied to remember her first Valentine's Day at Hogwarts, and the second one had been too embarrassing for words. That's why she didn't pay too much attention to her third one as it approached.

It was hard to ignore it, though, when it was all that anybody could talk about. In the days leading up to it, Harriet saw signs of it everywhere. Students talking about it, girls giggling as their respective others invited them to Hogsmeade dates, boys plotting on how to sneak a kiss without the professors spotting.

By the time the actual day rolled around, she was already sick of the whole thing. There were no dwarves dressed as cupids, which was a nice change, but _everybody _was _kissing. _The professors, many of whom could be rather strict about these sorts of things, simply watched it all in amusement, clearly swept up in the festivities and "the joys of young love," to quote Dumbledore.

Harriet, annoyed, decided to try seeking refuge in Uncle Moony's office. He always had hot cocoa for her. Leaving Ron and Hermione in the Great Hall (they were bickering as usual, and didn't notice her leave), she headed off.

She should've realized that something was wrong as she got closer to his office.

A group of girls passed her, giggling.

"He is _so _handsome," one of them sighed.

"And an Auror," another added. "I love a man in uniform."

As Harriet approached, she couldn't help but ask, "An Auror? Here at Hogwarts? Who?"

"Sirius _Black," _said the third one. Harriet felt about ready to gag. She _knew _she shouldn't have asked.

"That's my _godfather," _she protested. They looked at her as though she was the luckiest girl in the world. Harriet dashed around the corner as quickly as she could, eyes wide, listening to them giggling again as they walked away.

Alone with her (disturbing) thoughts, she was able to wonder what exactly Sirius was doing wandering the halls of Hogwarts, breaking the hearts of pre-teen girls. From what she understood, he'd done his fair share of that already while _he _was at school.

When she arrived outside Moony's office, she had to stop short. Harriet had seen Sirius in some very strange positions before, but this had to rank in the top five. He was crouched by Remus's office door, attempting to peek through the keyhole. Harriet walked up right behind him and he still didn't notice her.

"Sirius?" she questioned.

He jumped about ten feet in the air and turned to face her.

"Blimey, Prongslette!" Harriet noticed that he was whispering. "You scared me."

"Sorry," Harriet said, not sounding at all apologetic. "What exactly are you doing?"

Sirius pulled Harriet down so that she was crouched next to him. He had stopped looking through the keyhole and instead had his ear pressed against the door. "I came here to see Moony."

"Well, yeah, I got that bit," Harriet said slowly. Sirius shushed her, so she lowered her voice and clarified, "I meant, why are you crouching out here by the door?

"He has somebody in there." Sirius said this as if it was all the explanation a person would need. Harriet was still confused.

"I still don't understand."

"It's a woman," Sirius said simply.

Now, Harriet pressed her ear to the door, too. "A real one?"

"Exactly," Sirius told her. Neither of them could hear what was going on inside, so Sirius went back to trying to look through the keyhole. Whatever it was that he managed to see, it made him scowl.

"What is it?" Harriet whispered.

"They still have their clothes on," Sirius grumbled. "They've been in there long enough that I hoped-"

Harriet, blushing, interrupted him and asked, "Aren't you supposed to be trying to set a good example for me?"

Sirius shot back, "I _am, _Prongslette. By showing you what _not _to do."

Before Harriet could argue that she was fairly certain that that wasn't what that particular saying meant, the door they were leaning on opened, causing them both to tumble forward and land on the ground in a mass of tangled limbs.

As it was, they landed at the feet of a very bemused looking Uncle Moony, who stood above them with his arms crossed and his eyebrows to his hairline.

"Most people knock," he said drily.

"You should know I'm not 'most people!'" Sirius sputtered indignantly as he stood up, and then extending a hand to help up Harriet.

Remus didn't justify this with a response as he let them in and closed the door shut behind him. Harriet, looking around, noticed that the woman who was with him (or the woman Sirius _claimed _was with him) was gone. Sirius noticed, too.

"Where's your girlfriend?" he whined.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Remus said. He was blushing and stammering, looking not nearly as calm as he usually did.

"I might believe you," Sirius responded, "If it weren't for that lipstick on your collar."

Remus's eyes widened and he slapped his hand over the lipstick mark in question, as though Sirius wouldn't remember it existed if he covered it up.

Considering Sirius's attention span, Harriet thought this was actually a valid line of reasoning.

Sirius _did _remember, though, and hooted with laughter. When Remus made it clear he wasn't going to say anything, he demanded, "Go on, then! Tell me about her! Do I know her?"

Remus's answering stutter was enough of an answer for _that, _leading to Sirius peppering Remus with questions, much to Remus's misfortune. Harriet amused herself by listening for several minutes, only to realize that this (discussions of love and kissing and the like) was exactly what she had been trying to get away from.

With a muttered explanation about having homework to do, Harriet scampered off, hearing Remus and Sirius bickering cut off by the shutting of the door behind her.

Harriet paused, for a moment, unsure of where to go. In the end, she decided to go back to the Gryfindor common room, since, considering the lovely weather, everybody with any free time was outside, and that it should be empty enough for her tastes.

Much to her surprise, it was even emptier than she had expected. Nobody was there- no doubt enjoying the sunshine- except for Neville, who she was admittedly surprised to see. She told him as much.

"What're you doing in here?" she asked, sitting down on the cushions next to him. He looked up at her and she added, "I thought you'd be outside in the greenhouses. It's a lovely day out."

"I just wanted to be alone," Neville said shifting uncomfortably. Then, realizing how his words could be misconstrued, he hastily sputtered, "But you can stay, obviously! It's fine."

"Are you sure?" Harriet asked nervously, not wanting to bother him.

"Yeah," Neville assured. "To be honest, I just wanted to get away from all that-"

"All that what?" Harriet said curiously.

Neville blushed, but seemed to know that Harriet had a penchant for discovering secrets, so he said, "All the _kissing."_

Instead of the ridicule he was expecting, Harriet nodded vehemently in agreement. "Me, too! It's insane! What is it with Hogwarts this time of year?"

"I don't know," Neville shrugged. "They're all obsessed with kissing-"

"And being cute!" Harriet added. "And candy and flowers and-"

"Exactly!" Neville said. "I mean, kissing somebody isn't that big a deal-"

Here, Harriet had to admit, "I wouldn't know. I've never kissed anyone."

"Neither have I."

Silence descended, and both Harriet and Neville turned back to what they were doing: Neville working on an assignment, Harriet fiddling with her hands rather uselessly, having forgotten to bring anything to do with her, as desperate as she was to get away from everybody.

"Neville?"

"Yeah?"

"Maybe- No. Never mind."

"Tell me!"

"It's _stupid."_

"_Tell me!" _Neville repeated.

"I just thought that- I mean, if you didn't have anything better to do- that, well, maybe _we _could kiss." Harriet took in Neville's expression and shook her head with a small laugh. "I know: stupid. Forget I said anything. I was just talking aloud, you know?"

"I think it's a brilliant idea."

Now it was Harriet's turn to wear the strange expression. "You _do?_"

"That way we can see what the big deal," Neville said, sounding more resolute. "And that way we won't be so nervous for the real thing."

"Right," Harriet said, surprised. She turned to face him properly. "How do you want do this, then?"

"I guess we just-"

"And then I can do this-"

And then they were kissing. Well 'kiss' was a strong word, in Harriet's mind. It was more just pressing two lips together (Neville's were a bit chapped), neither one of them moving, or even _breathing_. It wasn't a _bad _feeling. Harriet just didn't understand what all the fuss was.

Apparently, neither did Neville, since he pulled away a moment later, clearly confused. "Huh."

"Yup," Harriet agreed, as Neville picked up his book. Feeling as though she should say something else, Harriet said, "Good work."

"You, too," Neville nodded.

What they were both really saying, though, was:

_Let's agree to never talk about this again._

_Agreed._

A few hours later, when Hermione and Ron finally tracked down their wayward friend, Harriet thought that they might say something, _notice _something. Nothing outside had changed, and she certainly didn't _feel _any different, but isn't that what always happened in those films Aunt Petunia used to watch?

But if Harriet looked a bit more flushed and if Neville stuttered a bit more

-not that they _did _(that much)-

Nobody said anything.


	3. A Crush on a Champion (Year 4)

**Title: **A Crush on A Champion (Year 4)

**Author:** tinyrose65

**Summary: **The Tri-Wizard Tournament has once again come to Hogwarts. For Harriet, it's brought a few other things with it: trouble. And feelings for a certain Hufflepuff Seeker. To be honest, she doesn't know which is scarier.

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**"First love is only a little foolishness and a lot of curiosity." **

**~George Bernard Shaw**

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**Harriet Potter and Cedric Diggory, The Third Task, Hogwarts - 24 June, 1995**

It was the end of the Third Task, much to Harriet's relief. Well, it was _almost _the end. She and Cedric just had to find the blasted Goblet and be done with the whole thing. It had been a long few months, but as she looked up at Cedric, determination written all over his (handsome) face, she couldn't stop the happy, warm feeling that crawled up her tummy.

The whole thing was not her fault. Of course, it rarely was, but this trouble was _especially _not her fault. When Dumbledore had reinstated the Tri-Wizard Tournament for of-age students, and then invited two schools to Hogwarts for the year, the last thing Harriet had planned was to get involved. She was going to sit back and enjoy not being the center of attention for once.

And then her name came out of the cup.

And Ron was angry with her for a while.

And so was most of the school.

And she had to outfly a dragon.

And then learn to _dance _(this was the scariest thing).

And find a _date- _Actually, _that _had been the scariest thing. Harriet was never good with boys. Most of the ones she knew were on the Quidditch team, but the thought of asking them to go to the dance with her was just _odd. _Most of the school had, at this point, more or less 'forgiven' her for entering the tournament, but that didn't mean they were lining up to ask her out.

Harriet had actually tried to ask Cedric. Except, well, she sort of blurted it out in the middle of their conversation, panicked before he had a chance to answer, and then run away to Moony's office to have some more of his hot cocoa. He ended up asking Cho Chang, Neville had asked Ginny (so that was a bust), and Harriet had no choice but to go with Ron, which was awkward considering that he spent most of the time staring completely moony-eyed at Hermione and glaring at Krum.

Cedric had at least had the decency to give her a tip on the Second Task, and, after being helped by Neville, it had gone relatively well.

It was also there that the truth of it had come out: Barty Crouch, who had been at Hogwarts at the time, had been attacked in the woods. It was only because Uncle Moony had been in the area (scoping it out before the next full moon) that he had survived, and that his son, Barty Crouch Jr. had been captured.

They had learned the whole thing. Crouch Jr., escaped from Azkaban all those years ago, had begun to work on a plan to get revenge on Harriet for killing his master, and had ended up stealing Moody's identity (poor Mad-Eye was found in a trunk) and putting her name in the Goblet in hopes that Harriet would somehow die in the process.

Unfortunately, psychos putting her name in the Goblet did not exempt her from actually competing, which is how she found herself standing, rather bloodied and bruised, next to Cedric, who, despite all the dirt, looked rather perfect.

As always.

She felt her cheeks heating up with what little blood was left in her body.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking down at her concernedly.

"Of course," Harriet said, shaking it off. "Let's just find that stupid cup and get out of here."

Cedric nodded and together they took a sharp right down the maze- and there it was. Beautiful and glow-y and blue and ripe for the picking-

"AGH!" Harriet let out a screech as something grabbed her from behind. It took her a moment (her world had literally flipped upside down as she landed on her back) to realize that a _vine _of all things had her in its grasp. She suddenly wished, as she struggled for her wand, that she had payed more attention in Professor Sprout's class.

There was a strange snapping sound, following by a rather impressive wave of pain by her ankle. If she were to hazard a guess, she would say that something had broken or fractured or _oh who cared it bloody hurt!_

Light and noise filled the air for a moment as Cedric- at least, she assumed it was Cedric- hurled several spells at it in quick succession at it, until it finally slithered off. Harriet lay, panting, on the ground, her ankle throbbing, her ribs and her head aching from when they had landed hard on the floor.

"I am never ignoring Neville's lessons on plans again," she gasped, as she finally managed a secure grip on her wand. Cedric reached down and carefully helped her stand. He tried his best to not touch any of her severely hurt ribs, but she did let out a few whimpers here and there, ashamed as she was to admit it. When she stood (more or less) upright, he held part of her weight to ease the pain in her ankle.

And then they were standing in front of it.

Silence.

Then, "You should take it."

Both of them had spoken at the same time, and so they laughed a bit. Harriet said, "You just saved my life. I wouldn't be here without you-"

"And you saved me from that Acromantula. I never would've thought to aim for the stomach. You deserve to win."

"I don't want the glory," Harriet said vehemently, "And my family certainly doesn't need the money."

"I don't want any of it either!" Cedric pursed his lips.

Harriet suggested then, "How about we both take it? Hogwarts gets the glory, and we can give the prize money to St. Mungo's or something."

At first, Harriet didn't think he would go for it. Then, very slowly, he nodded. "One condition."

"Okay...?" Harriet said, drawing it out slightly, not entirely because she was having some trouble breathing in her condition.

"When this is over- and after we've both gotten a good night's sleep- you- I mean, only if you want to-"

"Cedric," Harriet snapped, shifting restlessly. She wanted to get this _over _with. She was tired and hungry and dirty and missed her parents and Isaura and Moony better have some hot chocolate waiting for her.

"Would you like to come to Hogsmeade with me?" Cedric said in a rush. "Like. A date. I mean."

Harriet's jaw literally dropped, and all the pain was forgotten. She finally managed to say, with her eyebrows raised and eyes scanning the maze around them, "Boy. You really know how to woo a girl, don't you?"

"You don't have-"

"Yes." Harriet said firmly. "I'd love to go on a date with you."

Cedric smiled, then, a bright one that seemed to light up the maze around them, and Harriet had no choice but to smile back.

On an unspoken signal, they both reached for the Goblet.

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**Harriet Potter, Hogwarts Express, Somewhere - 30 June, 1995**

"So when's your date with Cedric again?" Hermione pressed eagerly. Harriet shrugged, wincing as she pulled a sore muscle. Even a week after the whole thing, every part of Harriet still hurt. Ron grimaced sympathetically from the seat next to her.

"Not sure yet," Harriet answered. "School's out for the summer, so I suppose we'll have to arrange something by owl."

Hermione squealed and Ron covered his ears. "I _knew _he liked you, Harriet!"

Harriet just blushed and didn't answer. Ron, deciding to change the subject said, "Sure was nice of you two to give the money to Fred and George for their joke shop."

At this, Harriet grinned. It had been hers and Cedric's decision, together. After all they had been through, the importance of jokes couldn't be understated in their opinion. Ron and Hermione were the only other two who knew about what they had done.

"My mum is going to go _mental,_" Ron warned.

"Let her, then," Harriet retorted. "I'm not the one who's going to have to put up with her all summer."

Even though Ron's whines filled the train for the rest of the trip home, Harriet couldn't stop smiling.

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**AN: Short and sweet! Hope you liked it :)**

**tinyrose65**


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